Chapter 14: Frost Family Reunion

July 2015

Elsa stared at Jack as if she couldn't believe it was really him. There was something inside her that had been telling her that she hadn't seen him in an age. It was like she was seeing him for the first time all over again.

"Elsa, how are you feeling?" Jack sat down in the chair that was usually taken by Anna. "Anna told me that you had been attacked. I hope that nothing too serious happened."

"Memory loss," Elsa pointed at her head and gave a small chuckle, trying to make it sound like it was no big deal. "I seem to have forgotten a huge chunk of myself. Ah well, hopefully people will be able to fill in the missing pieces. Like you!" Elsa suddenly got a bright idea. "You can help me. I have a million questions. So, we got married right? What was that like? Anna says we have children, what are they like? Do I have any friends I don't remember? Why did we get divorced? What happened after that?"

Elsa's voice seemed to go at a million words per hour. She was just so excited to see Jack. Yes, Anna had been great to see but Jack always made her feel special and loved. It was just part of who he was.

"Whoa, one question at a time Elsa," Jack smiled at her. "Let's take this one at a time."

For what felt like hours, the two of them talked. Elsa learnt all about her children, the life Jack had in America and everything that happened between. However, all throughout the conversation, Elsa felt like there was something Jack was holding back – almost as if there was some secret that he was keeping from her. Every time she asked him something to do with why they broke up or what her life was like, he seemed to avoid the question.

What on earth could it be? Anna seemed to have let slip that it had something to do why she was handcuffed. So, it was being arrested that did it? What could she have been arrested for? Fraud? Stalking? Maybe she got so possessive over a woman in Jack's life that she stalked the woman and harassed her. That could be why he left for America – didn't want to deal with the crazy. Although, there was something telling her that it was something really bad... but how bad could it be?

The conversation only ended when Jack had to leave as he had to get back home. Elsa was sad to see him go but he promised he would return. She sunk into her sheets, a grin playing on her lips. At least something good was happening. Sure, she couldn't really remember their marriage but she could remember their dating life. Well, parts of it anyway.

"What's got you grinning like that?" Anna had walked into the room, carrying a cup of coffee.

"Oh, just thinking about the first time Jack and I went out," Elsa sighed, lost in the memory of it.

"Oh yeah," Anna sat down, a grin was now forming on her face. "You guys were what, fifteen? Didn't Jack ask you out to that burger joint for milkshakes?"

"Yeah," Elsa couldn't help grin even more. "He was so nervous. He ordered one chocolate milkshake with two straws."

"All I remember from that is you coming home walking on air. Man, you were so into Jack. It was quite fun teasing you about your crush."

"Hey, jokes on you, we got married."

"Did I ever tell you that Jack forced me to be a stand-in for you when he was practising?" Anna said, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Well, you didn't, I don't remember it."

"Oh, that means I can retell all my best jokes," Anna said, laughing, "and all my best stories. It will be like you never heard them."

"At least Dad isn't here to constantly redo his dad jokes," Elsa said, getting in on the fun.

"Ain't that the truth," Anna said, sipping her coffee again.

"So, what's new with you?' Elsa said, getting comfy in her bed. "How are the kids?"

Anna launched into a conversation about what Heidi had gotten up to in school, Josef's latest fight with his best friend and Helena's newest crush. While they were talking, Elsa could feel the distance she had first felt with her sister disappearing more and more every day.

Jack returned to the hospital the next week accompanied by his two children. Both looked like they would rather be anywhere but here. The public image of their mother hadn't exactly helped them see the better side of Elsa. People talked at their school and it hadn't taken them very long to find the newspaper articles that painted Elsa as a monster.

"Okay, now remember, your mum doesn't remember anything to do with it," Jack said. "So, be on your best behaviour."

Sigrid clicked her tongue. "Fine, but that doesn't mean we have to like her."

"She is your mother," Jack scowled at his youngest.

"She is also a serial killer," Sigrid snapped back. "You don't see Dennis Rader's daughter exactly trying to make amends."

"This is different," Jack said. "Your mother has lost that part of her."

"Yeah, well I'll believe it when I see it," Leif muttered.

The three Frosts headed in the direction of Elsa's bedroom. Jack knew that his children may not enjoy it, but it may be good for them to see their mother. After all, chatting with her the previous week made him realise that there was still a spark there even after all these years. When he had gotten to America, he had dated – a little. Although it was kind of a buzzkill when he had to answer the question why he was divorced.

Elsa was and will always be his one true love. No other woman would be able to come even remotely close to that. She was his childhood crush, the mother of his children and the woman of his dreams. Did that mean he wanted to start afresh with her? Knowing that she was both the Arendelle Ripper and not the Arendelle Ripper was extremely confusing. Well, maybe he would just have to see how this all goes.

He got to the room and escorted his children in. When they entered, Elsa sat up – well as best as she could – and gave them all a grin.

"Elsa, this is Leif," he tapped their son's head, "and this is Sigrid." He tapped her head too.

"Hello mother," the two children said, not in the best voice in Jack's opinion, but at least it sounded civil.

"Hey," Elsa said. "Nice to meet you guys."

Just as they were settling in, Jack's phone rang. It was his boss back in America. Apparently, they needed him to log into his computer – which just happened to be back at his mother's – and fix some errors before their campaign went live. Jack resisted the urge to swear at this. This was a moment he had to be here – his children were getting reacquainted with their mother for crying out loud.

"What's the matter Jack?" Elsa asked him, her forehead caressing with concern.

"Work," he held up his phone. "Sorry guys, I gotta dash but I'll be back as soon as possible." He took his two children aside and whispered sharply. "Now, I expect you two to behave."

"Yes father," they whispered back.

"Good," Jack put a grin on his face as he bade Elsa goodbye. A part of him wished that he didn't have to leave. Maybe he shouldn't? He stared down at his phone as he walked down the hallways. Work didn't always have to come first, especially not now…More buzzing from his phone told him, yes, he did have to leave. Well, it may give the kids time to bond with their mother. They had been close when they were little. Maybe that would return and they would get that child-parent bond going again.

Little did he realise what was actually going to happen.

Elsa stared at her children who were standing, awkwardly on the other end of the room. Neither one of them knew exactly how to start this off. They hadn't seen her in eight years and she couldn't remember a single detail about them. Jack had told her all about them – like their ages, how they were doing in school, their friends, the whole shebang of it – but did that mean that she knew them?

"So, I hear that your Uncle helps you with your maths homework," Elsa asked, finally deciding on some neutral topic of conversation.

"Yeah, Uncle Stanley is a great help," Leif said, determinedly not looking at her. "He's actually a really positive influence on us…unlike some other people," he added under his breath as if he didn't want her to hear it but she did.

Okay, so that wasn't exactly the neutral conversation she had wanted. She cast her mind around for something else that may be of some use.

"I hear you guys are doing very well in school," Elsa thought that school was a safe option. Maybe if she gets the talking about some class, they love a person they met there, that could get them to open up a little. "What's your best class?"

"I like maths," Leif said. "I'm actually pretty good."

"Oh, that's amazing, and you Sigrid?" Elsa poised the question to her. Her youngest child had yet to speak and was concentrating really hard on the courtyard outside Elsa's window.

"Science," she muttered.

"You guys really are a chip of the old block," Elsa said, swelling a little with pride. "You know, those were my best subjects at school as well."

"I would bloody well hope we weren't a chip of the old block," scowled Sigrid.

"Do you know how horrible that would be?" Leif said, looking angry.

"What does that mean?" Elsa felt like she had been punctured. The happy, proud feeling she had just felt had quickly evaporated. "Leif? Sigrid?"

"Look, just because Dad is making goo-goo eyes at you again doesn't mean we have to," snapped Sigrid. "We are only here because he asked us to."

"You may be our mother but that doesn't mean we have to like you," Leif added on.

"What?" Elsa could feel tears coming to her eyes.

"C'mon," Leif said to his younger sister, "maybe they have some decent food in the cafeteria."

Elsa could only watch as they left the room. She tried to call after them but they didn't respond. In fact, they looked like they were ignoring her. She sunk back into her bed; a hurt, lonely feeling was coursing her way through her body. So, her children hated her, there was no other reason for their behaviour. Tears splattered down her face. What had she done that caused this much pain?

A nurse that she often saw came into her room to check her vitals – they were still performing daily checks that she was doing okay. After all, her doctor kept saying that she was lucky that memory was all that she had lost. The brain damage she had suffered had been very severe.

"Elsa, what's wrong?" the nurse asked, looking concerned.

"Oh, hi Eli," Elsa sighed. Out of everyone at Arendelle Hospital only Eli and Dr Banke had been kind to her. Everyone else giggled or stared at her whenever she passed them. "Just family stuff, you know?"

"Oh, were those your kids I saw? Cuties."

"Yeah, but they hate me and I don't know what I did!"

Eli bit her lip. It seemed like she was having an internal battle over something.

"Eli," Elsa begged, "please, please tell me what I did. I have to know."

"Alright," Eli sighed, "but you're not going to like it."

"That doesn't matter, how can I fix something if I don't know what I did?"

Eli bit her lip again. "I'll be back."

Elsa waited as Eli disappeared from the room. There was a panic rising in her. Numerous theories went through her mind ranging in from being fired for fraud to the leader of a drug cartel. Eli returned about ten minutes later, carrying a newspaper article. She chucked it at Elsa who grabbed it. She gaped at the headline.

Arendelle Ripper – Caught At Last

Underneath the headline was a picture of her.

That moment, Anna walked in and looked between Elsa and the newspaper. Her face dropped.

"Ah, so you know," she managed to say after several seconds.

A/N: So Elsa now knows. What will she do next?

Reviews:

Collington: Hopefully this chapter answers all those questions for you. You're welcome!